From major storms to daily tides, the sandy shores of New Hampshire are constantly moving — gaining sand in some places and losing it in others. But how do scientists and volunteers actually track those changes over time?

In this episode of Time and Tide, we dig into the world of beach profiling — a simple yet powerful method that measures the contour of the shoreline month after month to reveal patterns of erosion and accretion along our coast. By taking regular measurements of beach elevation and slope, the NH Volunteer Beach Profile Monitoring Program contributes to long-term coastal monitoring efforts that inform local decision-making, coastal resilience planning, and scientific research.

Learn how citizen scientists — also referred to as participatory scientists — use two measuring poles to collect this important data, while researchers interpret the meaning of this for your favorite New Hampshire beaches.

What better way to explain beach profiling, than to take you for a walk along the beach in Seabrook, NH, where a small group of researchers and volunteer citizen scientists meet on a windy winter day to measure the beach.

Guest Speakers:

Alyson Eberhardt, Ph.D., Coastal Ecosystems Extension Specialist, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Larry Ward, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Wells Costello, Citizen Science Program Manager, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Rachel Morrison, Research Assistant, UNH Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Hosted by: Brian Yurasits, Science Communication Specialist, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Produced by: Brian Yurasits

Further reading:

Beach Resilience Data

Citizen Science in Shifting Sands (StoryMap)

Storm Report Series

New Hampshire Sea Grant works to enhance our relationship with the coastal environment to sustain healthy and resilient ecosystems, economies, and communities through integrated research, extension, education, and communications efforts. Based at the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Sea Grant is one of 34 programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program, a state-federal partnership serving America’s coasts. Learn more by visiting: seagrant.unh.edu

University of New Hampshire is an equal opportunity employer, learn more: https://extension.unh.edu/civil-rights-statement

For those who can’t imagine a day without the smell of salt air, the rumble of waves, or the chatter of gulls overhead, a coastal career feels like a natural calling. But knowing you belong near the ocean isn’t the same as knowing where you fit within it—and the world of marine careers is far more diverse than many people realize.

In this episode of Time and Tide, we dive into the many paths available in marine science, policy, and education. Whether you’re a student just starting to explore your options or a professional looking to pivot into coastal work, we offer practical guidance for navigating the opportunities along New Hampshire’s small—but mighty—stretch of coastline. We also highlight the training programs and graduate pathways within the Granite State that can launch careers nationwide.

Act 1: We speak with Lindsey Williams, New Hampshire Sea Grant's very own workforce development expert, who helps us give career advice to four imaginary students facing very real decisions. From hands-on science roles to community-focused education jobs, Lindsey helps untangle what matters most when choosing a coastal career path.

Act 2: Next, we head to Washington, D.C., for a conversation with Ana Silverio and Elizabeth “Lizzy” Martin, two current Knauss Marine Policy Fellows. Ana and Lizzy share what it’s like to transition from fieldwork to grant-making and policy roles, offer insight into working across political divides, and reflect on the value of sitting down for a “coffee chat” with colleagues.

Full episode transcript is available below.

Guest Speakers:

Lindsey Williams, Ph.D., Associate Director & Assistant Director for Workforce Development, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Ana Silverio, Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Lizzy Martin, Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Hosted by: Brian Yurasits, Science Communication Specialist, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Co-Hosted by: Erik Chapman, Director, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Produced by: Brian Yurasits

Further reading:

Doyle Undergraduate Fellowship

Graduate Student Fellowships

University of New Hampshire Professional Development and Training

University of New Hampshire Career and Internship Fair

New Hampshire Sea Grant works to enhance our relationship with the coastal environment to sustain healthy and resilient ecosystems, economies, and communities through integrated research, extension, education, and communications efforts. Based at the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Sea Grant is one of 34 programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program, a state-federal partnership serving America’s coasts. Learn more by visiting: seagrant.unh.edu

University of New Hampshire is an equal opportunity employer, learn more: https://extension.unh.edu/civil-rights-statement

Show notes:

Beneath the thin blue line of the ocean’s surface lies an underwater meadow of grass. In Great Bay and coastal New Hampshire, these flowing fields of green are nurseries for young fish, an anchor for sediments, and a sign that our ecosystems are healthy. However, these life-supporting aquatic pastures face new threats. Here, in the constantly moving waters where rivers meet the sea, scientists, students, and communities are working together to bring back one of New Hampshire’s most vital—but also fragile—coastal habitats: eelgrass.

These underwater meadows once stretched far and wide across the bay, but recently, storms, changing water temperatures, and pollution are having an impact on our local eelgrass species, Zostera marina.

A new restoration project—backed by local towns, oyster farmers, and researchers at the University of New Hampshire—is testing innovative ways to help these plants return and thrive. From transplanting shoots to exploring seed-based restoration, the work happening here could shape the future of eelgrass recovery across the country.

Act 1: What’s slender like an eel, and requires clear, cold water to thrive? Explore eelgrass 101 with Trevor Mattera, Habitat Program Manager with the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP), as he takes us through the past, present, and future of Zostera marina in New Hampshire waters.

Act 2: Strap on your snorkel and float through an eelgrass meadow with Matthew Allen, New Hampshire Sea Grant’s Undergraduate Doyle Fellow, who spent this past summer spending as much time as humanly possible in a wetsuit, assisting Trevor and the team at PREP with their Great Bay Estuary Oyster & Eelgrass Restoration project. Experience a day in the life working to restore eelgrass and hear a harrowing story about mating horseshoe crabs.

Act 3: You can’t have thriving eelgrass without clean water. Gretchen Young, the Deputy Director of Technical Services at the City of Rochester, New Hampshire, explains how this restoration project came to be funded, and why municipalities are joining forces to address nitrogen pollution in Great Bay.

Guest Speakers:

Trevor Mattera, Ph.D., Coastal Ecosystems Extension Specialist, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Matthew Allen, Undergraduate Doyle Fellow, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Gretchen Young, Deputy Director of Technical Services, City of Rochester, New Hampshire

Hosted by: Brian Yurasits, Science Communication Specialist, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Co-Hosted by: Erik Chapman, Director, New Hampshire Sea Grant

Produced by: Brian Yurasits

Further reading:

Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

Doyle Undergraduate Fellowship

Municipal Alliance for Adaptive Management

New Hampshire Sea Grant works to enhance our relationship with the coastal environment to sustain healthy and resilient ecosystems, economies, and communities through integrated research, extension, education, and communications efforts. Based at the University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire Sea Grant is one of 34 programs in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program, a state-federal partnership serving America’s coasts. Learn more by visiting: seagrant.unh.edu

The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) is a collaboration-driven, local organization and National Estuary Program. Through community collaboration with NH and Southern ME Towns, researchers, and local organizations, they work to monitor, restore, and protect the health of the lakes, rivers, streams, and the Great Bay and Hampton-Seabrook estuaries in the Piscataqua Region Watershed.

The University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity educator and employer. UNH, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, and New Hampshire counties cooperating. Direct inquiries to unh.civilrights@unh.edu.